It’s almost turkey time.
Thanksgiving is this week, and students at Detroit Mercy are excited to not only get a few days off from classes, but to spend time with their families by eating, laughing and enjoying the start of the holiday season.
Justin Reynolds, a senior business major, says Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday.
“It means the world to me because I get to spend time with brothers, sisters, parents and cousins,” he said.
Reynolds and his family are preparing to make an annual 10-hour road trip to Manhattan to mark the occasion.
“We drive to New York for the week and go to the huge Macy’s parade in Times Square,” he said. “It is usually very cold, but it is so fun to see everyone enjoying their time at the parade. We also enjoy black Friday shopping at various stores in Times Square because there are so many of them.”
For Dejuan Davis, a sophomore Architecture major, it’s all about food and family.
He most enjoys turkey, deviled eggs, green beans and mashed potatoes. A budding chef, he’s especially excited for this year’s meal.
“One reason why this Thanksgiving will be better than past ones is because I am going to assist in cooking and preparing the mac and cheese for my family,” he said.
Emma Kollias, a sophomore Economics major, says she’s looking forward to seeing her siblings.
“Thanksgiving is so special for my family and I because we only get to see each other a few times a year,” she said. “My two older siblings have moved to other states and hol- idays are special because they come home to spend time with the family.”
They all spend the holiday playing games like Yhatzee, Monopoly, Jenga and more.
“We have a very competitive family which makes the games so fun for me,” she said.
Not everyone is a fan of the holiday.
Emma Trawally Porta, a sophomore forward on the women’s basketball team, comes from Spain and does not celebrate Thanksgiving.
She said she thinks the backstory of the holiday is racist because it deals with colonizers coming to steal land. However, she said she still thinks it’s nice that families come together and celebrate with each other.
Thanksgiving in Michigan also means football. The Detroit Lions have played in a nationally-televised game on Thanksgiving for decades, and students say watching from home (or in person) has become part of their holiday tradition.
“Thanksgiving is a very exciting time for me because my dad and I are Michigan and Lions fans,” said Amber Eineder, a junior business major. “Every year on the week of Thanksgiving, the Michigan football team plays against Ohio State and my dad and I enjoy watching the game that week.”
She said they sometimes buy tickets and go to the Lions game.
“It’s fun to see a Lions win,” she said.
But with the Lions being a historically bad franchise, others like watching the game for the sense of schadenfreude.
“Of course seeing my family is the best part of Thanksgiving,” said DJ Leppek, a business major. “However, I also enjoy watching the Lions lose.”
